Morozevich leads in Biel

7/29/2006 – The Biel/Bienne Chess Festival, which included two high-category GM double round robins, has reached its half-way mark. 15-year-old Magnus Carlsen was doing very well until round four, after beating top Seed Morozevich, but the latter won all his other games to take the lead. In the women's section it is Pia Cramling who is leading the pride. Report, games and pictures.

Katya and Zhu lead in Women's Supertournament

7/27/2006 – The North Urals Cup 2006 is under way, and after five rounds Ukraine's 16-year-old Katerina Lahno is leading with 4.5 points and a thumping 2865 performance! She is followed by former world champion Zhu Chen with 4.0 points and a 2770 performance. After neglecting this event we bring you up-to-date with a big pictorial report.

Chess talent Jessie Gilbert dies at 19

7/27/2006 – Another shock for the chess world: Jessie Gilbert of Croydon, England, who won the Women’s World Amateur Championship in 1999 at the age of 11, fell from the eighth floor window of a hotel in Pardubice, Czech Republic, where she was taking part in a tournament. The circumstances of her death are still not clear.

I am-sterdam: Sergey Tiviakov wins

7/26/2006 – The hard-fought 3rd Amsterdam Chess Tournament ended in a three-way tie for first. The winner on tiebreak points (and performance) was Dutch GM Sergey Tiviakov, followed by Sergey Erenburg, Israel, and Friso Nijboer, Netherlands. Splendid foto report by Frits Agterdenbos.

Aleks – GM Shabalov on Aleksander Wojtkiewicz' death

7/26/2006 – On July 14th Grandmaster Aleksander (Aleks) Wojtkiewitz, Polish citizen born in Latvia and resident in the USA, died at the age of just 43. He was well known, but also a sometimes controversial figure in the chess world. A colleague who knew him especially well is GM Alexander Shabalov. He and others have sent in their thoughts on Aleks' passing.

China narrowly wins Taiyuan Scheveningen

7/25/2006 – After ten rounds the young Chinese team (average age 21) was in a commanding lead in the double round Scheveningen. In round eleven came the collapse, when they lost 1:5 to the "rest of the world" team. The final round ended in a tense tie, so that China took an overall one-point victory. Report and games. Report and games.

More letters...

7/25/2006 – Our Workshop columnist Steve Lopez again reaches into the mailbag. This time the topics include the fundamental difference between chess playing and chess database software, adding moves to opening books, Internet ethics, and some useful Spanish phrases -- all in the latest ChessBase Workshop.

Congratulations and happy birthday, Judit!

7/24/2006 – Goodness, how time flies! Seems like yesterday we were playing table-tennis with the pre-teen Judit Polgar, and now she has turned thirty and given birth to her second child Hanna, who entered the world at 3.5 kilos two weeks ago. Judit remains by far the strongest female player in the history of the game. Portrait and pictures.

Judit's attacking style

7/24/2006 – As we know Judit Polgar, the strongest female player in history, has just turned 30. To commemorate the occasion Dennis Monokroussos, in his Monday night Playchess lecture, looks at one of her characteristically tactical games against a top-10 colleague.

Need a few extra points, mate?

7/24/2006 – Endgame theory is often neglected by tournament players, perhaps because studying endgames with textbook can be dry and tedious. Fortunately there is a vastly superior method: Carsten Müller's endgame DVDs. Order it now or read more and watch some sample videos.

Meet Garry Kasparov – live or on Playchess

7/23/2006 – He is no longer active in competitive chess – in fact these days he spends much of his time making life difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Garry is still working on a book series entitled "My Great Predecessors", and occasionally participates in a book signing. You can attend in person at the London Chess Centre or virtually on Playchess.

Karjakin wins Tomsk with 2834 performance

7/22/2006 – At twelve Sergey Karjakin was the youngest GM of all time. At 16 he has just finished a category 18 double round robin tournament with Morozevich, Ponomariov, Kasimdzhanov, Rublevsky and Bologan a point and a half ahead of the field. The event was the 10th Petr Izmailov Memorial in Tomsk, Russia. We bring you games, impressions and new pictures.

China leads in the Taiyuan Scheveningen

7/21/2006 – There is a very strong tournament under way in Taiyuan, China. Two teams of six players each are facing each other in a double round Scheveningen. After ten rounds the Chinese team (average Elo 2628) is leading the "rest of the world" (2638) by 32.5 points to 27.5. In spite of our thumbnail: the game they're playing is chess. Big pictorial report.

1.1 million Euro Chess Center in Turkey

7/20/2006 – Which is the fastest growing chess federation in the world? FIDE officers debated this for years, but now all discussion has ended. It is the Turkish Chess Federation, which increased its membership from 3000 to 150,000 in six years, and installed 12,000 chess teachers in schools. Now the TCF has moved into spanking new quarters in downtown Ankara.

Where the weather is mild and the chess is great

7/20/2006 – With Europe suffering under one of the most severe heat waves in recent memory, our thoughts turn naturally to balmier places, where, we are told, "cooling trade winds blow constantly from the east," and it rains mostly at night. If you are quick you just have enough time to catch the Curaçao Chess Festival 2006, which begins on Saturday.

Fighting games at the Third Amsterdam Chess Tournament

7/19/2006 – This annual is being stage taking place from July 15–23, with 446 players in four groups. The A group (Elo > 2225, first prize 3500 euro) has attracted 86 participants including 14 GMs and 22 IMs – favourites are Tiviakov, Nijboer, Timman, L’Ami, and others. Lots of fight and surprises in the games. Report and photos by Frits Agterdenbos.

A-Z Guide at Mid Valley Megamall

7/18/2006 – Have you registered for the Arthur Tan Open, which takes place from August 21–27,2006, in Kuala Lumpur? You have? Then you need to know a few things about the tournament venue. Edwin Lam Choong Wai helps us with a Lonely Planet style survival guide.

A world tour shows: White is most definitely okay!

7/18/2006 – On this week's Radio Show we travel all over the world with our Playchess lecturer Andrew Martin: to Norway for Carlsen-Agdestein, Andorra for Spraggett-Sethuraman, Montreal, for Khassanov-Moissenko, and Paris for Fressinet-Drasko. This eclectic mix is accompanied by the usual puzzle. Join the trip!

Peter Leko vs Anatoly Karpov in Miskolc

7/17/2006 – Just over a year ago Hungary's top GM (and world number six) Peter Leko played an exciting rapid chess match against Michael Adams in Miskolc, the third largest city in Hungary. This year, starting August 29th, Peter will play the legendary 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov in an eight-game rapid the same location. Full details.

GM Aleksander Wojtkiewicz dies at 43

7/16/2006 – Born in Latvia, but Polish by nationality, he was a great chess talent in his teens. But his career was interrupted when he was imprisoned for refusing to join the Soviet Army. In 1986 he moved to Poland and later took residence in the US, becoming one of the most active tournament players in the world. Aleksander Wojtkiewitz died on July 14th 2006. He will be sadly missed.

Carlsen falters, shares victory with Agdestein

7/16/2006 – The 15-year-old former student of GM Simen Agdestein was leading by a full point. In the final round, facing an opponent 200 points his inferior, Magnus Carlsen chose not to play for a safe draw to win the Norwegian Championship outright. Instead he launched an uncompromising attack – and lost. Now there will be a playoff against Agdestein. Report and games.

Pinter's brilliance against Portisch

7/16/2006 – His opponent was his famous countryman, the world super-elite Lajos Portisch. But Jozsef Pinter, "only" a strong GM himself, took heart and played a brilliant game in the 1984 Hungarian Championship to defeat Portisch. In his Monday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos looks at this inspiring effort.

Letters...

7/16/2006 – Our News items and columns generate an interesting assortment of reader replies, and ChessBase Workshop is no exception. Steve Lopez fields queries on such diverse subjects as text coloring, MMX processors, algebraic notation, and the joys of Andrew Martin's instructional videos in the new ChessBase Workshop.

Kasparov vs Putin before the G8 summit

7/14/2006 – From July 15 to 17 the "Group of Eight Summit" is being held in St. Petersburg. The G8 consists of the world's most powerful democracies. Former world champion Garry Kasparov, who believes Russia should be expelled, since it is sliding back into dictatorship under the Vladimir Putin, has organised an alternate summit. Press and TV reports.